Hillbillies

Remember my backwoods adventure from earlier this week? A local friend, who chooses not to be named, saw the post and sent me an e-mail:

There is a rideable connection, but it is legendarily unsafe. I know of two people who have done this, one from the top and one from the bottom, and both say they would not do it again. I believe you were heading the correct way.

The reason this trail is said to be unsafe is that there is a backwoods community close to the end of the road. I’ve heard firsthand from two sources that this is an especially scary and unwelcoming area, a scrap of forgotten and paranoid inbred mountain folk straight out of Deliverance. One cyclist was supposedly chased by a rake-wielding hillbilly in camouflage coveralls, and both say they would not go through there again for fear of being chased and caught.

Probably the legend has grown in the retelling, but caveat cyclist. Especially caveat transplanted city cyclist on custom bike with designer bibs and fancy camera.

I turned around maybe half a mile from the connection because a major thunderstorm was brewing and I was on the top of a mountain, but yeah it was pretty creepy up there. I don’t know if I would have gone any further even if it was nice out. If I ever dare to ride this, I’d do it from the opposite direction so that I’m going downhill. Getting chased by a “rake-wielding hillbilly” up a 15% gravel grade does not sound like fun.

PS: I removed the names of the roads from this post so that it isn’t directly searchable. Even hillbillies have internet these days, and I don’t want to piss ’em off!

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6 thoughts on “Hillbillies”

I doubt that “ingrown hillbillies” is the whole story. I suggest that Marijuana growers is a bit more likely. Now if one were up there during hunting season, no matter what is going on, it would be an error in judgement.

Hi John, you are correct in your experience. No, these folks are not pot smoking hippy’s of past or present. 40 years ago it was well know by other remote locals of this clans existance and to not get close to their territory, there is always someone on guard before anyone can get too close, I remember well and had no interest in challenging them. Their intent was to be scary but to not harm outsiders in order to maintain privacy, seems still the way. It was also known back then they hunted their deer year round and even the law didn’t even bother them. Occasionally a few of the clan would be at the local 1 store gas station stop, clearly our hillbilly neighbors who simply wanted to be left alone…including alienating hippy’s.